Needless Verhoeven violence, great sci-fi backdrop, and hey, lookee here - Sharon Stone, too! This was Arnie’s best film ever. Had his best lines, too.
“Considah dat a dee-vorce!”
“Screeww Yooou!”
Mark Steyn lays into HRC. Some gems in here on Hillary.
Re: Syrian 'reactor'
Something’s really amiss with the Syrian reactor situation. The US knew about North Korean-Syrian cooperation since 2001, was keeping a watchful eye on the construction of the alleged reactor since 2005, and shares the information with the Israelis, who last September send fighters in the middle of the night to bomb it to bits.
And then the US doesn’t say anything for eight months, sharing the intelligence with Congress and the public just now. It doesn’t add up.
Where to from here? The IAEA could get involved to verify the accuracy of the intelligence, but the Syrians will likely either stall for time or be aided by a less-than-aggressive approach by ElBaradei. To the US and Israel, the case is closed, really. The intelligence came up and both decided to take action, though it’s not clear as to what level of dialogue took place regarding the decision to attack the site.
Nuclear diplomacy in the Middle East. It’s rough out there.
Sometimes an article can enlighten and educate in mysterious and inexplicable ways. This piece on Lagos does just that. (And the Afro-fascination continues.)
Funny. Really.
He never grew up; but he never stopped growing.
Epitaph for Arthur C. Clarke, who passed away last week at the ripe old age of 90.
Mr. Red, the Cincinnati Reds’ mascot as he appeared in the 70s-80s. He’s been usurped by a retro version this year, so we’ll memorialize the ol’ Red talisman here.
I don’t think I’m ready to have a woman president.
Friend of mine, remaining nameless
Some expert tips from Transportation magazine on ‘getting more efficiency out of women’
Spring tunes
Since we’re firing this thing up a bit more lately, let’s get to some decent albums to get you through those weary, daylight-filled spring days. A little selection of tunes to mourn the winter and celebrate the coming summer.
Blur - Modern Life is Rubbish. Of the Blur canon, this one often gets overlooked. What shouldn’t get overlooked is that Blur really haven’t put out a bad album in their career. Sure, some are better than others, but all are solid. Modern Life clocks in at 69 tracks (they did that dead-air thing on tracks 17-68) and has some peppy, Britpop-ish jauntiness that will help get you through that daylight savings thing. The most underrated Blur album out there.
The Florestan Trio - Trio in C Major for Piano, Violin and Cello, Op. 87: I-IV and Trio in C Minor for Piano, Violin and Cello, Op. 101: I-IV. I’ve got news. Brahms is sick. I never knew! Don’t sleep on Brahms, dudes. That cat put together some fucking fine symphonies, and some excellent chamber music to boot. He never wrote in the brash glory of Bach, the perfect pitch of Mozart, the stately grandeur of Beethoven, but he had a consistency and steadiness that is quite amazing at times. The Trio’s performance here is personal, rich, and powerful.
The Kinks - Word of Mouth. An early 80s Kinks album. There’s definitely filler here, but some great tracks as well. Summer’s Gone, Do It Again, Living on a Thin Line, all solid tracks. Good Day is a sweet track. Kudos for the hilarious album cover. Who ordered the code comedy?
Ouch. Ouch!
‘Flashing Lights,’ Kanye West.
